Facing multimillion-dollar budget gaps, two north metro school districts are proposing transportation fees to help fill the shortfall.

In District 27J, which primarily covers the Brighton area, school officials are proposing a bus fee of $20 a month for the 2011-12 school year. It would mark the first time the district has imposed a transportation fee for students, said Terry Lucero, chief operations officer for 27J.

If approved, the fee is expected to raise about $300,000 to $500,000 annually, he said.

The fee is one option the district is looking at as it attempts to balance its 2011-12 budget.The district is facing a $4 million budget gap, Lucero said.

About 4,200 students on average ride the bus each day, he said.

The additional funding would be used to help offset transportation costs, along with upkeep and maintenance of the vehicles, he said.

The district is not required by state law to provide transportation for students, but 27J has spent about $2.5 million a year on transportation, Lucero said.

In Adams 12 Five Star Schools, officials are proposing an increase in the transportation fee for students next year to help offset an estimated $25.5 million in cuts.

The board of education is inviting members of the community to provide input at its meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Education Support Center, 1500 E. 128th Ave. in Thornton.

Under the plan, the district would raise the fee from $10 to $15 per month per student. For parents with more than one student in the district, the fee would go from $20 to $30 maximum per month, per household.

Students in the free or low-cost lunch program would be exempt from the fees under both of the districts’ proposals.

Adams 12 also is looking at cutting into transportation services at high schools. Under its budget plan, the district is proposing eliminating transportation for athletic competitions on Saturdays and eliminating athletic transportation for competitions within 10 miles of a school.

School boards are preparing to approve their budgets soon. Under state law, budgets must be finalized by the end of June.

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